Thailand PM declares emergency law for Bangkok

Thailand Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has declared a special emergency law for Bangkok after riot police and anti-government protesters scuffled in the capital city.

Shinawatra’s government invoked special security law in and around Bangkok after protesters seized the compounds of two ministries.

Police and anti-government protesters have scuffled in the capital Bangkok, after demonstrators tried to break up a police barricade near the Government House.

The demonstrators stormed the Foreign Ministry and Finance Ministry compounds as part of their protest.

“Go up to every floor, go into every room, but do not destroy anything,” Suthep Thaugsuban, a former deputy prime minister and opposition lawmaker, told the crowd before he entered the ministries, adding, “Make them see this is people’s power!”

This is the second day of rallies seen as the biggest in years.

The public protests erupted last month over a government-backed bill that could have granted amnesty to ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawat. The government has been forced to abandon the amnesty effort.

However, rallies have continued, with the protesters claiming that Prime Minister Shinawatra’s government is controlled by her older brother, Thaksin.

The demonstrators want the current prime minister to step down.

Thaksin was toppled in a military coup seven years ago, following rallies accusing him of corruption. Since then, Thaksin has lived in self-imposed exile to avoid a prison sentence.

He’s now seeking to return home. Thaksin, who remains popular in the impoverished countryside for his populist policies, argues the charges are politically motivated.

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